Nigerians are a problem across country, in Goa: Minister

Panaji: Amid a string of attacks on Africans in Delhi, Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar on Monday demanded a strict law to deport Nigerians, claiming that they come in conflict with Indian law so as to extend their stay and indulge in drugs and other crimes.

The BJP leader's remarks came a day after a 39-year-old local woman was allegedly raped at knifepoint by a Nigerian at Parra village.

"The problems of Nigerians are not only in Goa, they are across the entire country. They (Nigerians) arrive here to study and create problem so that the case is filed against them," Parulekar said.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function to inaugurate Solid Waste Management Facility at Saligao-Calangute plateau.

"They try to stay in Goa or India and indulge in drugs and other unwanted things," he said while replying to a query on a spate of attacks on African nationals in Delhi, which are alleged to be racial in nature.

Recalling an incident, two years ago, in which a group of African nationals had blocked the national highway at Porvorim near Panaji over murder of one of their countrymen, the minister said, "We should have a strict law where we can deport them. But unfortunately there is no such law in India at the moment."

A series of attacks on Africans, including murder of a Congolese man in the national capital, has evoked a sharp reaction from African envoys, prompting the central government to step in and launch efforts to ensure safety and security of Africans. Recently, a Nigerian student was allegedly assaulted by a local over parking of car in Hyderabad.